Conesus Lake Fishing Guides
The westernmost Finger Lake, a shallow and fertile eight-mile water south of Rochester with a strong walleye, bass and panfish fishery.
Guides on the Conesus Lake
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About the Conesus Lake
Conesus is the westernmost of the Finger Lakes and the one least like the rest of them. Where Seneca and Cayuga are deep, cold and oligotrophic, Conesus is about eight miles long, barely a mile wide and shallow – under seventy feet at its deepest – which makes it warm, fertile and highly productive. It sits in farm country a little over twenty miles south of Rochester with a heavily developed shoreline of cottages and year-round homes, and it has been a working recreational lake for well over a century.
The fishery reflects that fertility. Walleye are the primary draw and are both stocked and naturally reproducing, holding on the deeper flats and moving shallow at dusk, which makes evening and night trips the productive pattern through summer. Largemouth bass are abundant in the weed beds and around the extensive dock structure, and smallmouth work the harder bottom near the inlet and the deeper drop-offs. Northern pike and stocked tiger muskie give the lake real predator interest, and chain pickerel are common. Black crappie, bluegill and yellow perch support a heavy panfish following, particularly through the ice.
The lake’s challenges are the familiar ones for shallow fertile water: heavy summer weed growth, periodic harmful algal blooms in late summer, and an ongoing watershed management effort aimed at nutrient loading from the surrounding farmland. Anglers should check the county’s bloom advisories in August and September. Because the lake is small, weekend boat traffic is genuinely felt, and most guided trips run early or late in the day. This gauge near Lakeville reports lake elevation rather than water temperature, so use it for launching and water-level questions and carry a thermometer for timing the walleye bite.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Conesus Lake.
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- 24 hours-0.01 ft → steady
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Reading taken 2h ago at USGS 04227980, CONESUS LAKE NEAR LAKEVILLE NY. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Conesus Lake State Boat Launch at Lakeville - the main public ramp at the north end near the gauge.
Long Point Park on the east shore - town park with parking, shoreline access and a launch.
Vitale Park in Lakeville - developed north-end access and parking.
Conesus Inlet Fish and Wildlife Management Area - south-end marsh access and spring fishing.
McPherson Point on the west shore - informal access and shoreline fishing.
Sandy Bottom Park in Livonia - beach and shoreline access at the north end.
Conesus Inlet Creek - tributary access for spring walleye and pike movement.
Seasons
Spring: the strongest walleye and pike fishing of the year as fish stage near the inlet and the shallow south end.
Summer: heavy weed growth, excellent largemouth fishing on the edges, and after-dark walleye trips to avoid the traffic.
Fall: weeds die back, smallmouth move to the drop-offs and walleye fishing improves again in cooling water.
Winter: a well-established ice fishery for perch, crappie, pike and walleye once the lake locks up.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Conesus Lake?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Chain Pickerel, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch on the Conesus Lake in New York.
Where can you access the Conesus Lake?
Conesus Lake State Boat Launch at Lakeville - the main public ramp at the north end near the gauge. Long Point Park on the east shore - town park with parking, shoreline access and a launch. Vitale Park in Lakeville - developed north-end access and parking. Conesus Inlet Fish and Wildlife Management Area - south-end marsh access and spring fishing. McPherson Point on the west shore - informal access and shoreline fishing. Sandy Bottom Park in Livonia - beach and shoreline access at the north end. Conesus Inlet Creek - tributary access for spring walleye and pike movement.
When is the best time to fish the Conesus Lake?
Spring: the strongest walleye and pike fishing of the year as fish stage near the inlet and the shallow south end. Summer: heavy weed growth, excellent largemouth fishing on the edges, and after-dark walleye trips to avoid the traffic. Fall: weeds die back, smallmouth move to the drop-offs and walleye fishing improves again in cooling water. Winter: a well-established ice fishery for perch, crappie, pike and walleye once the lake locks up.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Conesus Lake?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the New York agency site: https://dec.ny.gov/things-to-do/freshwater-fishing/regulations